Team Member Name: Kristen Steiner
Publication: Media Matters
Date: May 15, 2012
Cartoonist: Rob Tornoe
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: Tradition of Marriage
Cartoon#: 111802
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon you first see an image of Rush Limbaugh stating that Obama wants to destroy traditional marriage. On the right you then see four images of slavery, child labor, women’s rights and segregation, all significant historical events that past presidents have also “destroyed” to make this country a better place.
In the past we have seen extreme cases of discrimination and unfairness to different types of people. As portrayed above, four of the largest discriminations in our country were in regards to African Americans during the civil war, child labor in the 19th and 20th century, women’s rights in the early 1900’s and segregation in the 1960’s. Through each event people saw the passing of equality at the time as a large issue. During the civil rights movement there were a lot of white Americans that were willing to embrace change and accept African American citizens into their society; however, the general feeling of African American vs. white equality was strongly disliked. As time has gone on and moved away from the passing of these historical events, we have seen a great change and acceptance for all of these issues here in America. Woman and African Americans now have the right to be free, to vote and are allowed the same rights as any white American male. There are now several strict laws dealing with children and labor laws from ages appropriate to work and in what settings. When these issues were at their peaks, America did not necessarily agree with the passing of laws for equality, however, overtime, we have seen nothing but good from each law being passed, and the same is to be said for sexual equality.
Sexual equality is at a peak right now for controversy. Over the past years we have seen a lot of disagreement in ways of sexual equality, but over the past two decades, a rise has been seen in he acceptance of the idea. Political parties and particular generations are now favoring same sex marriage and sexual equality more than ever. During the 2012 Presidential election, same sex marriage was seen as a hot button issue and it did cause for a large divide between parties. People sat very one sided on the issue and some event went to far as to say that President Obama is destroying what we consider to be traditional marriage. Throughout the campaign this hot button issue was a large controversy on both sides of the spectrum.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
Through the cartoonist’s depiction of the issue of same sex marriage, he has constructed the cartoon in a way to show President Obama’s full support on the issue. In May 2012, several months before the Presidential election, President Obama released a statement confirming that he did support gay marriage. He stated that everyone needs to be treated fairly; it is constitutional. It is no secret that many people still do not favor same sex marriage, and cartoonist Rob Tornoe does an excellent job in depicting an important republican figurehead to show the great divide on the issue.
This cartoon portrays the issue of same sex marriage as an equally important matter as large issues that have plagued our country in the past such as slavery, child labor, women’s rights and segregation. Tornoe, through his eyes, shows that the matter of same sex marriage is just as important as major historical events from our country’s past. This positive framing of sexual equality allows for the readers to interpret the gravity of the situation and the possible future outcome from turning around the countries legal stance on same sex marriage and allowing for a monumental change in our country. Through the eyes of the cartoonist, we see that same sex marriage is just as important as equal rights for gender and race and that when laws were originally passed to make change, people did not like it, but look at all the good and equality that has resulted in the President passing particularly controversial laws.
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Team Member Name: Kristen Steiner
Publication: Tea Party Tribune
Date: May 10, 2012
Cartoonist: Toby Toons
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: Another Romney Classmate Turns Up
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon, a news reporter labeled with the MSM, or Mainstream Media logo, is interviewing one of Mitt Romney’s old classmates. The old classmate is wearing a shirt with Obama’s democratic logo and quoted talking about how Romney was against watching cartoons because of the word use of gay.
During the 2012 Presidential campaign between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, Obama released a state regarding is support in gay marriage, his opponent, Romney, was on the exact opposite side of the issue. Romney feels, as did the two former republican presidents before Obama did, that marriage is between a man and woman and that even he does not necessarily agree with civil unions due to the nature of it being the same as same sex marriage with a different title. His disapproval of such a sensitive subject left for an extremely divided country on the issue and it became clear that most Americans were either for or against same sex marriage where very little middle ground was covered.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
Through the cartoonist’s eyes, the reality constructed regarding Romney’s stance on same sex marriage is very evident. The cartoon shows that Romney, back in the day, had a hard time even saying or watching something with the word gay in it. This shows, on the extreme side, that Romney, through his campaigning over the past several years, shows no tolerance for the idea of equality. The cartoonist takes it one step further and implies that not only does Romney not agree with the idea, but by putting President Obama’s symbol on the shirt of the hippie, shows that Republican Party and Mitt Romney do not necessarily take the matter seriously.
The cartoon itself does a great job in positively framing rights for sexual minorities, though at Romney's expense. Through the cartoonist’s depictions and ability to frame Romney in aless serious and bigot position, we gather that Romney is so incredibly against sexual equality that it has been taken as far as to not even watch a silly, fun cartoon. This issue of sexual equality is such a seriously important one that the cartoon shows that if Romney is not willing to take the issue seriously, then why should we have to take him seriously?
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Team Member Name: Kristen Steiner
Publication: The Buffalo News
Date: May 11, 2012
Cartoonist: Adam Zyglis
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: Marriage Equality
Cartoon#: 110948
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon we see the word equality with the letter Q represented by the President Obama’s symbol. In front of the word equality, there is a wedding cake with a gay couple on top looking at the word equality and stating, “Looks closer than we thought…”
It is no secret that our president he has gone back and forth on where he stands on same sex marriage. Last May, just months before the presidential election, President Barack Obama announced that he did indeed support gay marriage. Those in favor rejoiced, those who opposed spoke out and history was made.
Throughout the past couple of decades, as sexual equality has become increasingly more visible, sexual equality has become a major issue and until recently, it has not been accepted within our country and cultural. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act declaring marriage as a legal union between man and woman, and later in 2004, President George W. Bush stated the same regarding marriage and refused to accept marriage outside the bonds of a man and a woman.
The cartoon above plays off the fact that the idea of same sex marriage has been illegal for quite sometime and now that we finally have a President that supports it, sexual equality and same sex marriage are finally becoming a reality.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
In his campaign to serve as president for a second term, President Barack Obama was the first president to state his support for same sex marriage. Through the cartoonist’s eyes, this particular cartoon constructs a reality that due to his support and at the time, his hopeful reelection, President Obama would make way for a very controversial, once-illegal issue to come to pass. Through his support and stance in favoring same sex marriage, Obama was able to pave way for even more equality to come about in our country.
The reality of this particular cartoon, through the eyes of Adam Zyglis, shows nothing but full support for sexual equality and same sex marriage. It is no secret that over the past several years many Americans have not favored the idea of same sex marriage, but as time as continued on, it has been shown that America is almost equally divided on the issue.
The cartoonist through this cartoon, gives an excellent representation that due to President Obama’s support and also the implied support of America that things are changing and sexual equality is becoming that much more relevant to citizens today.
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Team Member Name: Betsy Blanchard
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Date: 2012
Cartoonist: David Horsey
Location: US
Title of the Cartoon: Mitt Romney lets the religious right call the shots on gays
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon, Mitt Romney attempts to appease his conservative followers by insisting that having a gay person on his staff was only a one-time thing. He insists, “Really! You won’t find any more gays on my staff!” Meanwhile, an anonymous voice, which active news followers know to be Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney's openly gay foreign policy spokesman, asks Mitt if that is him standing outside the door.
Grenell, openly gay, resigned last May amidst persistent news coverage instigated by anti-gay conservatives.
Tone of the cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
Romney’s desperate insistence would lead readers to believe that Romney is ashamed of having a gay staff member when the reality may in fact be the opposite (framing). In a statement, Richard Grenell said of his former supervisor: “I want to thank Governor Romney for his belief in me and my abilities and his clear message to me that being openly gay was a non-issue for him and his team.”
Regardless of accuracy, mocking Romney in such a way makes it clear that Horsey feels gay people are deserving of equality and are every bit as capable as straight people to hold a position of power, even for a Republican campaign. The angry-looking, hatred-ridden crowd (who fail to properly spell "homosexuals") is the artist’s way of saying that those who fear, doubt or despise sexual minorities are cruel, primitive and bigoted.
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Team Member Name: Theodore Royer
Publication: Washington Post Writers Group
Date: May 9, 2012
Cartoonist: Lisa Benson
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: N/A
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon, Obama serenades a Hispanic lady sitting on a balcony labeled "hispanic vote." Below is a man labeled "gay vote" proposing to Obama from behind. In this cartoon, Obama is ignores the gay vote because he is “busy.” During the election year, both presidential candidates tried to secure demographic votes, two of which were LGBT community and the Hispanic community. Although Obama has done more for the LGBT community than any preceding president, there is still the concern that he refuses to use the word “marriage” when contemplating the roles.
During 2012, Obama has made a push to try and win the Hispanic votes, one legislation that he tried to push through was the DREAM Act. Though it failed in congress, Obama managed to put in place some of its key points
Tone of the Cartoon:
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
The reality being created by the cartoonist is that Obama, who has seemed to be the “hero” of same-sex marriage, is ignoring the LGBT community to cater to the Hispanic votes. The author insinuates that Obama's promises and efforts on behalf of the gay population was simply a publicity act to gain their votes. However, at this point, he has turned his supposedly fake attention (framing) from them to the more populous Hispanic vote. It, in part, could be referring to Obama's support of the DREAM act, which, in essence, was a path to citizenship for children of undocumented workers. “While Democrats failed to get the bill through congress, Obama, in August, signed a directive that implemented its key provisions.” Its views towards sexual minorities is that they are being shorted in the political debates and that they should be just as important as any other ethnic or gender group; however, the cartoonist may feel that Obama's policies are not giving them the credit they deserve.
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Team Member Name: Erik Dalton
Publication: California Political Review
Date: May 7, 2012
Cartoonist: Gary McCoy
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: Obama Drops Glitter Bomb on Romney
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
Obama is dropping a glitter bomb on Romney from a fighter plane. This cartoon is using satire to say that Obama is fighting with the gay vote against Romney in the 2012 presidential election. A seemingly straight couple stands in the background and says, “Using drones to glitter bomb Romney… Obama really is pandering for the gay vote.”
In the 2012 president election, same-sex marriage and sexual equality became extreme hot button issues. Throughout their campaigns, President Obama and candidate Mitt Romney became more pointed on their reasoning and stances regarding sexual equality. President Obama was the first president to openly admit his support for same sex-marriage, while Mitt Romney stood by his guns and openly stated that he would never allow for same-sex marriage. Throughout the campaign process, the two candidates continually clashed on the issue and led to a solid divide in the voting pool.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
This cartoon is framed to support equal rights. There is nothing in the cartoon that shows hatred toward equal rights. It shows that the topic of equal rights will be one of interest in the presidential election, and that the gay people themselves may have a powerful impact in the 2012 presidential election. The rainbow colored glitter is the most obvious representation of gay people. The funnier aspect is even though Obama is “bombing” Romney, a glitter bomb is fairly harmless. This piece of satire is used to poke fun at the people who may think that gay people are a threat to the American Nation. Oklahoma Republican state representative Sally Kern claimed “homosexual agenda” is “the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam.” The satire of the glitter constructs a reality in the cartoon about sexual minorities that gay people are not a threat to the nation and that they should be allowed to have equality.
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Team Member Name: Erik Dalton
Publication: PoliticalCartoons.com
Date: May 15, 2012
Cartoonist: Nate Beeler
Location: US
Title of Cartoon: Obama Gay Marriage Color
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
In this cartoon Obama is seen marrying two men, but behind this scene there are a bunch of dead flowers that are labeled “JOB MARKET” and “WEAK RECOVERY”. Obama also says in the cartoon, “With this ring, I thee DISTRACT.” This same-sex marriage cartoon is not necessarily for equal rights. This cartoon uses satire to say that the topic of gay marriage is a distraction from what may be topics of actual importance in the 2012 presidential election.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Negative (seen as a distraction)
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Neutral/Opposed
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
This cartoon is more opposed to equal rights for gay people than it is supportive. The cartoon has framed the issue of same sex marriage as an issue that gets in the way of other issues like America’s “job market”. He uses the idea of agenda setting to show readers what he, and many other Americans believe, to be that the main reason for President Obama to support same sex marriage maybe in order to distract from other issues that may not favor him in the upcoming election. The dying flower pots in the background represent what will die and be overlooked if Americans focus on same sex marriage as their deciding factor in the presidential election. The overall reality constructed in this cartoon is that the sexual equality should not be taken very seriously, and may not be worth the time to legalize because it distracts from more important issues.
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Team Member Name: Betsy Blanchard
Publication: Los Angeles Times
Date: 2012
Cartoonist: David Horsey
Location: US
Title of the Cartoon: High school Romney vs. high school Obama
Cartoon#: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
This cartoon emphasizes the cartoonists’ starkly contrasted opinions of the two presidential candidates’ high school personalities. The drawing depicts President Barack Obama on the left smoking marijuana and looking to “shoot some hoops.” On the right, presidential candidate Mitt Romney is shown wielding a pair of scissors and looking for volunteers to help him “pin down a gay kid and hack off his hair.”
During the campaign, it came out that Mitt Romney was a bit of a cruel prankster during his high school years at an all-boys school. Many who claim to have been witnesses say his pranks were aimed at gay students.
Tone of the Cartoon:
1) Framing of sexual minorities: Positive
2) Framing is supportive or opposed to equal rights for sexual minorities: Supportive
What “reality” is constructed/framed about sexual minorities and their rights?
This is an example of positive framing – this cartoonist likely sympathizes with sexual minorities. Mitt Romney is being portrayed as a domineering bully who sees little harm in cutting the hair off of a “poor, gay kid.” Obama’s greatest social crime, as illustrated by the artist, was smoking a bit of weed. Comparatively, Obama’s crime is portrayed as significantly less harmful. Romney’s anti-gay sentiment is then framed as particularly heinous.
Romney’s comments (as chosen by the artist) – and menacing smirk – dehumanizes his gay high school colleagues, implying that little thought is required to do something as cruel as “pin down a gay kid and hack off his hair.”
Because this cartoon is clearly condemning the runner-up’s actions, Horsey indicates that gay people are very much human and unworthy of indecent treatment. Romney is portrayed as cruel and heartless for treating his gay colleagues so crudely.
Romney denies his classmates’ sexuality as motivation and says he hardly even remembers the pranks themselves. Without video evidence of the crimes or a confession from Romney, there is no way to prove his guilt, however, his point of view should at least be considered before judgment is made.
Horsey didn't include Romney's defense, most likely because he doesn't believe it. This is an example of gatekeeping. Because cartoons have obvious size limitations and personal motivations, we don't blame him for not doing so, but it the counterargument should be looked into.
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